Hanging Stack and Rolling Rack

ABSTRACT

A method for installing a set of drawers under the counter-top in the “blind corner” of kitchen cabinets. The stack of drawers is attached to a rack and hung from little wheel-cars in tracks. To access any of the drawers the door of the adjacent cabinet is opened and the stack is rolled sideways into borrowed space temporarily made available there. The drawers can then be pulled open. When finished the drawers are closed and the stack rolled back. Unlike existing products, this design&#39;s mechanisms permanently occupy very little of the adjacent space, only the top 3″. The rest is only borrowed. The flooring of this space is regular kitchen floor. It can be occupied by anything that can be easily moved out temporarily when corner access is needed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR ASTEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINTINVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The Blind Corner Problem

In kitchens, the space under the counter-top in corners is difficult toaccess. If both adjacent cabinets were to have full sets of drawers thespace would be completely inaccessible. This has led to the term “BlindCorner”. The least cost method to provide some access is to installshelves in one of the adjacent cabinets and extend them sidewaysthroughout the blind corner. These shelves are so deep that getting toitems in the back corner requires unpacking many of the items in frontbefore attempting an uncomfortable stretch. Then, one by one, theunpacked items must be returned. There have been many methods developedto address this obvious problem.

Description of Prior Art

Some cabinet designs use Lazy Susan's, which alleviate the deep shelfproblem by rotating the back corner items to the front. But if the lazysusan is tucked away in the blind corner accessing items must besideways through space made available in the adjacent cabinet, thebigger the items the bigger the adjacent space needed. This space is notdedicated but it must be empty when access is needed. In practice, itdoes not always remain empty. Large objects can appear there that mustbe shuffled out to fully access the Lazy Susan. A more comprehensiveLazy Susan design takes dedicated space from both adjacent cabinets. Itsmuch bigger shelves are circles with ¼ cut out. Selecting and rotatingone of the shelves presents ⅓ of its contents outside the cabinets fortop-down access. Getting the items out from under the counter fortop-down access is much better than sideways access under the counter.Positioning the cut-out appropriately allows the doors to be closed.This is a good solution for kitchens that can afford to merge 8 ft² ofadjacent counter spaces with 4 ft² of corner-space to get 12 ft² ofconveniently accessible storage, especially if there are many largeitems to store. The rotating motion of wide shelves can be a problem forsmall items.

Other mechanisms use rotation and/or sliding motions to move containers(trays, baskets or shelves, often with unusual shapes) through adjacentcabinet space. Some move the container from the corner space only as faras the shuffle space, others move it right out from under the counter, amore desirable solution.

Drawer-based designs have a large central drawer that slides in and outat a 45° angle and smaller side drawers that move in complicatedpatterns. This takes dedicated space from both adjacent cabinets. Thisdoes provide top-down access well-suited for small items. The size andunusually angled shapes of the drawers are less well-suited for largeitems.

In summary, it seems any solution to the blind corner problem requiresspace in one or both adjacent cabinets and involves shuffling of mediumsized containers of items. In most cases that adjacent space ispermanently dedicated to the mechanism. The entity being shuffled inthis invention is larger, a complete stack of individually operabledrawers. Therefore, there is little possibility of overlap with thedesigns described above.

Possibly Relevant Patent

There is one patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,215,240 Filing Date. Aug. 25, 1980,in which the entity being moved in and out of the corner space is a setof cabinets, at least one of which is a stack of drawers. Cabinetsnormally support counter-tops so these rolled-out cabinets continue todo that by having the fixed counter-top roll on the moving cabinets.That patent describes how a motor should be fitted to handle the weightof the cabinets. The entity being shuffled in this invention is smaller,a frame that fits inside a cabinet, easily moved by hand, that issuspended beneath the counter-top, not supporting it. There are olderpatents involving cabinets that are moved on rollers but in all thesecases the entity being moved is too large to overlap with thisinvention.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention does not involve any advanced technology, only carpentry,specifically cabinet carpentry. The only components not used in standardcabinet assem bly can be obtained in any big-box home improvementoutlet. The modest amount of carpentry required can be performed by aperson with ordinary skills in the field.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention uses, but does not dedicate, space in one of the adjacentcabinets. A stack of drawers is installed in the blind corner space. Theframe containing the drawers is suspended from a system of tracks andlittle wheel-cars. When access is needed the stack of drawers is rolledsideways into a temporarily borrowed space in the adjacent cabinet.Whatever was in that space first had to be moved out. While the stack ofdrawers is in this OUT position the individual drawers can be openedjust like any other drawers. The items (including those stored in thedeepest, lowest part of the blind corner) are presented for top-downaccess. When the drawers are closed the stack is rolled back into the INposition in the corner and whatever was in the space can be moved backin. The temporarily borrowed space is called the shuffle-space. Whateveris moved out and later moved back is called the shuffle-partner.

An essential feature of this design is that it does NOT permanentlydedicate the shuffle-space to a single purpose. It makes available ageneral-purpose space. Whatever is done to exploit the shuffle space isnot part of this design but the possibilities the shuffle space offersare a major part of this invention's value. Some proposed shufflepartners are:

1. Rolling step-stool, used in first embodiment.

2. Roomba and its base, fitted behind and below stack.

3. Swinging door with built-in storage.

4. Rolling cabinet with chopping block top.

5. Grocery cart.

6. Baby equipment.

7. Granma's walker.

Rectangular drawers in a rectangular space are the most efficient shape.Storage in this design occupies nearly 100% of the corner space and thus50% of the combined spaces. Even if no other use is made of the shufflespace this efficiency compares favorably with many of the more expensivecommercially available solutions. If 100% is the goal a shuffle partnerwith rectangular shelves would do the job. Note however that a shufflepartner with operable drawers would be liable to tip over.

A suspended stack of operable drawers cannot tip over and can be easilyshuffled in and out of the shuffle space. Each individually operateddrawer provides out-from-under the counter top-down access to itscontents. This convenience comes at a price. It is the nature of storagesystems that many items must be moved to get the one needed. Getting oneitem in an ordinary drawer gives all the un-needed items in that drawera ride out and in. Modern drawer-slide mechanisms with four wheels perdrawer make that easy. With the hanging stack all the un-needed items inthree drawers are given a ride sideways and back. The wheel-car & trackmechanism with 16 wheels makes that additional motion acceptably easy.

Hanging the stack from a system of wheel-cars in tracks has advantages.

-   -   5.1 Gravity ensures that the wheels remain properly positioned        in their tracks, free of dirt or clutter so that the stack can        be reliably rolled in and out within close tolerances.    -   5.2 The tracks are the only part of the mechanism permanently        installed in the shuffle space and occupy only the top 2-3″.    -   5.3 A useful amount of space under the tracks is available on a        part-time basis for a shuffle-partner. The flooring of this        space is a smooth continuation of the regular kitchen floor.    -   5.4 It is inexpensive. The sets of tracks and wheels are        designed to suspend folding doors and are available at any home        improvement outlet. The drawers and drawer slides are also        standard and widely available. The carpentry needed is modest.    -   5.5 It is easily maintained without disturbing the counter-top        or the adjacent cabinets. The drawers can be removed from their        slides. The rack and frame can be detached from the wheel-cars.        The wheel-cars can be removed from the tracks.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention was twofold. First, to provide anaffordable solution to the corner-space access problem and second, toprovide under-the-counter space to store a rolling step-stool, a safer,more convenient aide for reaching the wall cabinets than the usuallittle folding step-ladder, but one that needs more storage space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The drawings depict a design with the shuffle-space to the right. If thestack of drawers was in a north-west corner the shuffle-space would beto the east in the cabinet along the north wall. The adjacent cabinet onthat side (from which the shuffle space is expropriated) is identifiedas the “right” cabinet. If positioning the shuffle space to the left waspreferred (i.e. south along the west wall) the design drawings would bemirror images.

The drawings assume this design will be fitted into a set of kitchenbase cabinets nominally 24″ deep and 36″ high. Both corner and shufflespaces have a footprint 24″×24″. The Hanging-Stack has a footprint of21″×21″, resulting in clearances of 1″ in back, 2″ in front, and aclearance between the left-side adjacent cabinet and the side of theopen drawers of 4″. The bottom clearance is intended to match thebase/toe-kick height of the adjacent cabinets. (4.5″ is typical. Theheight of the door bottom should also match this.)

The design can be applied to a range of counter-top and cabinetdimensions. Installers may need to adjust the dimensions shown to suit aparticular case. The size of the hanging stack can be increased ordecreased as appropriate but the clearances should not be reduced.Recently a counter depth of 30″ is becoming more popular. This makes theblind corner space even larger and harder to access and thus the valueof this design greater. It also increases the size of possible shufflepartners.

The drawings show a pair of door-stops on the rolling rack. Operatingthe hanging stack does not require them any more than opening a doordoes, but in both cases they smooth the operation. In the typerecommended here one part has a spring-mounted magnet and the other isjust a thick metal washer for a stop and holder.

The drawings do not show any door for the shuffle space as it is notpart of the design. It is expected that a sliding door would be theusual choice and the 2″ clearance in front of the stack provides for it.Alternatively, a swinging door with built-in shelving could serve asboth a door and a shuffle partner that provides more storage space.

The following drawings are attached:

6.1 Drawing #1: Hanging Stack in the IN position.

FIG. 1: Top-down view—Plan view with counter-top removed.

FIG. 2: Front-side view—South elevation view with left-side adjacentcabinet removed.

6.2 Drawing #2. Hanging Stack in the OUT position.

FIG. 1: Top-down view—Plan view with counter-top removed.

FIG. 2: Front-side view—South elevation view with left-side adjacentcabinet removed.

6.3 Drawing #3. Parts Details

FIG. 1: Top-down view of rolling rack—Plan view

FIG. 2: Close up views of wheel-car in track and pin and latchmechanism.

FIG. 3: Front-side view of track & wheel-cars—South elevation

FIG. 4: Front-side view of rolling rack—South elevation

FIG. 5: Front-side view of hanging stack—South elevation

FIG. 6: Right-side view of hanging stack—East elevation

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Drawing #1: Hanging Stack & Rolling Rack—Stack IN

FIG. 1: Top down view.

Counter-top is not shown. The numbers refer to the following:

-   -   1. Left-side adjacent cabinet    -   2. Right-side adjacent cabinet    -   3. Kitchen wall    -   4. Rolling rack    -   5. Hanging Stack—frame and 3 drawers    -   6. Wheel-cars, two per track    -   7. Two tracks, 48″ long supported at ends    -   8. Corner space occupied by hanging stack    -   9. Shuffle space (empty)    -   10. Bumper Magnet and spring    -   11. Bumper stop and holder.    -   13. Top drawer—visible thru openings in rack

FIG. 2: Side view

Counter-top shown, left-side adjacent cabinet & door not shown

-   -   2. Right-side adjacent cabinet    -   3. Kitchen wall    -   4. Rolling rack    -   5. Hanging stack—frame & 3 drawers    -   6. Wheel-cars, two per track    -   7. Two tracks, 48″ long supported at ends    -   8. Corner space occupied by hanging stack    -   9. Shuffle space (empty)    -   10. Bumper Magnet and spring    -   11. Bumper stop and holder.    -   12. Opening in track to get wheels cars in & out.    -   13. Top drawer    -   15. Kitchen floor    -   16. Counter-top

Drawing #2: Hanging Stack & Rolling Rack—Stack OUT

FIG. 1: Top down view

Counter-top & door not shown

-   -   1. Left-side adjacent cabinet    -   2. Right-side adjacent cabinet    -   3. Kitchen wall    -   4. Rolling rack    -   5. Hanging stack—frame & 3 drawersRolling rack    -   6. Wheel-cars, two per track    -   7. Two tracks 48″ long supported at ends    -   8. Corner space—empty    -   9. Shuffle space occupied by hanging stack    -   10. Bumper Magnet and spring    -   11. Bumper stop and holder.    -   13. Top Drawer (half open)    -   14. Middle drawer (closed but visible thru rack openings)

FIG. 2: Side view

Counter-top shown, left-side adjacent cabinet not shown

-   -   2. Right-side adjacent cabinet    -   3. Kitchen wall    -   4. Rolling rack    -   5. Hanging stack—frame & 3 drawers    -   6. Wheel-cars, two per track    -   7. Two tracks, 48″ long supported t ends    -   8. Corner space (empty)    -   9. Shuffle space occupied by hanging stack    -   10. Bumper Magnet and spring    -   11. Bumper stop and holder.    -   13. Top Drawer.    -   14. Middle drawer.    -   15. Kitchen floor    -   16. Counter-top

Drawing #3: Parts

FIG. 1: Top-down view of Rolling-rack.

-   -   4. Rolling-rack corner areas where latches are installed.    -   17. Four latches are bolted to top of rack.    -   18. Openings to permit manual access to latch releases through        rack from below (when drawers are not in frame).    -   19. Hand-grip opening to pull the hanging-stack out.

FIG. 2: Close-ups: Wheel-cars & Latches

-   -   4. Rolling rack corner area where latch is bolted in position        over a hole that provides space for the wheel-car pin.    -   6. Four-wheeled car goes inside track, pin protrudes down thru        slot in track.    -   7. Cross section of track.    -   17. Latches have spring-loaded catches that engage the wheel-car        pins. These catches can be manually released to detach rack and        frame from the suspension system.

FIG. 3: Front-side view of track & wheel cars.

-   -   6. Two 4-wheel cars per track.    -   7. Track.    -   12. Opening to get cars in & out.    -   16. Counter-top.

FIG. 4: Front-side view of rolling-rack

-   -   4. Rolling-rack can be a simple piece of plywood. Additional        pieces could be added to strengthen its attachment to the frame.    -   10. Bumper magnet & spring.

FIG. 5: Front-side view of hanging stack.

-   -   5. It contains a stack of drawers that can be any mix of size        and number that fits in 27″.    -   20. Hand grip to pull hanging stack out.

FIG. 6: Right-side view of hanging stack

-   -   5. Side of hanging stack.    -   20. Hand grip to pull hanging stack out.

1. This invention embodies the following technical features of priorart:
 1. Drawers and their slide mechanisms.
 2. The method by whichdrawers and their slides are installed in cabinets
 3. The tracks,wheel-cars, and latches used to suspend and operate folding doors. Theembodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilegeis claimed are defined as follows: A method for storing items in, andconveniently retrieving them from, the blind-corner space in kitchencabinetry that is characterized by: a) A stack of drawers and slidesinstalled in a frame in the same manner that drawers are installed incabinets, b) A rack that has latches on its upper surface and isattached to the frame and drawers by ordinary carpentry techniques, c) Asystem of tracks and wheel-cars with downward projecting pins that therack-mounted latches engage thereby suspending the rack/frame/drawerassembly so it can be slid sideways out of the corner space to aposition where the drawers can be opened, d) A space in the adjacentcabinet equal in area to the corner-space with regular kitchen flooringsuitable for storing anything that can be readily moved out and backwhen corner access is needed.